Many people today claim – including experts from the academe – that fewer children are interested in reading with each passing year. They can often be seen flocking in front of the television, watching their favorite 3D animated cartoon series, or in front of their computers, playing 3D computer games. This 3D technology has been growing effervescently throughout the past two decades. This new technology was not just able to penetrate the print media, but has also been associated with television and film. In connection to this emergence, the development of a certain form of media cannot be set aside – the emergence of “manga” or “anime”. This medium introduced the world to a whole new kind of experience where storytelling was done on a completely new level. Reading short stories has never been the same for avid readers as they are faced with attractive and entertaining graphics that supported and filled in the gaps of their imagination. According to Scott McCloud, author of Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art, young children are expected to read books with lots of pictures, but are also expected to mature out of these taught habits as they grow. The traditional approach to literature and art are best if viewed separately angers McCloud. He states that comics have the potential to release people’s mind and teach them so much more if they could just free themselves from the idea of comics being simplistic diversions that exemplify commercialism. McCloud accredits this new medium as one of the major reasons why most young readers are straying away from the traditional, plain-text novels. Although the emergence of this new media is undeniable, it is still questioned whether this media performs more effectively than the traditional one. Does this form of expression promise better comprehension? Does it convey and depict authors' messages more clearly? Is it capable of attracting and encouraging more readers to continue on reading, or is the graphic novel just as an effective conveyor of information and entertainment as the traditional novel form? The pursuit of this discussion is to analyze McCloud’s key conceptual analyses of the emerging genre taken from his graphic novel Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art. In this pursuit, it will aid to utilize a graphic novel from which the analysis will be based. For this discussion and critique, the graphic comic that it shall be centered on is Ari Folman's world-renowned graphic novel, Waltz with Bashir. Thus, the succeeding parts of this paper shall delve on exploring and critically analyzing Folman's work, according to McCloud, beginning with a comprehensive summary. Waltz with Bashir talks about the tale and memoirs of a soldier who was severely traumatized by the Lebanon war. Though the soldier was able to regain physical health immediately, the psychological and emotional trauma the war brought him appeared to be the most difficult to heal. The splendor of the story revolved around one distinct and complex character which the author used as his own reflection, as a soldier himself. McCloud argues that many authors revert to graphic novels because they allow them to powerfully convey their ideas through what he calls juxtaposed, sequential static images. Folman’s intense journey could perhaps not be fully captured to his satisfaction without the aid of things that plain text does not offer, such as pictures, actions, colours and methodical layouts. It can be recalled that McCloud suggested that graphic novels have untapped potential as medium of expression. Many studies have already supported his claim and deduced that this form of media actually provides readers with more attractive readings which posts several advantages over the traditional textbooks (Reeves & Short, 2009). In the case of Waltz with Bashir, this claim was proved true. Depicting war memoirs has never been an easy feat for authors. Although the scenes at war are intense and consuming enough to induce imageries in the minds of the readers, it is still very difficult to convey how dreadful and miserable its real face is, physically as well as emotionally. This was where Folman seemed to focus, often because there is no better way to present such a complex experience but through graphics. Figures 1 and 2 below are some of the greatest examples on how Folman's work conveys the idea of war more effectively than how a traditional novel may have done it. In these images, the real faces of hostility, misery, pain and death were graphically revealed, to the story’s advantage. McCloud discusses the heavy reliance on sensory perception to truly experience the outside world, which Folman truly drives home through his immaculate art. McCloud proposes his concept of closure, where the audience experiences the phenomenon of observing the parts but perceiving the whole. Through this, closure allows readers to transform static images into figurative motion, bringing together the graphic experience and making it complete. Aside from the commendable illustrations and graphics, Folman's story was also regarded highly by comic readers due to the sincerity of the message it speaks about war. Everything can be observed to be written under the perspective of Folman. The story revolves around Folman's struggle to put the missing parts of his lost memory together by going back to the places he has been and interviewing people he once had the chance to work with in the army. However in the story, Folman's character is also depicted to be confused and bewildered of the things he began to remember. Through the scattered jumps between the past and present and intermittent recollections of memory, Folman unknowingly employs McCloud’s time frame theory throughout his work. McCloud states that audiences have been trained by representational art to see snapshots of time as instances, and not milliseconds. The accompanying speech bubbles allows time to pass, helping the readers to understand time within a comic frame. “Frames are dynamic. If details are missing and there are some black holes, reader’s imaginations fill in the empty spaces until it completely summarizes the designated time,” his co-writer, Ori explains (Folman & Polonsky, 2009). Folman takes the strength and sincerity of a war stricken soldier and makes the emotions come to life through this graphic novel. McCloud discusses the ways through which authors appeal to audience members senses and feelings. He states that emotions have the ability to be made visible, even through ink on paper. The idea of an image evoking a specific emotion or sensation in a reader is a strong concept and difficult task, but one that Folman pulls off effortlessly. It can be deduced that indeed, graphic novels like this work of Ari Folman induce better comprehension as they aid in the more graphic nature of humans' learning (Fisher & Frey, ). They enable the readers to actually see the real face of the story without leaving any unimaginable areas. Moreover, the displacement of the author's message was undeniably more effective as well. Readers are taken into a much deeper connection through their subconscious since they are being required to supplement the images with their real thoughts, perspectives and experiences. Lastly, although this kind of media will not encourage reading the traditional novel form anymore, it nonetheless pushes readers to read more of the graphic novels that offer clearer, more straightforward and descriptive expression. These types of media are powerful and growing in modern society as they further expand on human communication, McCloud explains. They continue to grow so much, in fact, that they are widely considered works of art. McCloud defines art broadly: “Any human activity which doesn't grow out of either of our species' two basic instincts: survival and reproduction”, and continues by explaining how the pursuit of art serves three evolutionary purposes, all of which can be seen through Folman’s tale. Finally, Folman’s use of colour throughout his novel is interesting and truly speaks to his purpose and goal. He predominantly uses dark palettes to colour places, people and settings, even when they take place on a bright day outside. He wisely conveys tone, atmosphere and feeling simply by the colours he uses for the characters skin tones, car colours and shades found in the sky. McCloud says that colour is a powerful, predominant concern of all good artists, but it is when one can use it to have profound physical and emotional effects on people that they are to be commended, for they are true artists. In several ways, this work of Folman does not just exemplify his own prowess and capability as a graphic novelist. This example also signifies how strong and potent this form of media can really be despite the emergence of all the other more powerful media today like the mobile phones and the internet. It somewhat suggests that through this form of novels, teachers and parents will still be able to keep their children's hands on books. More probably this can still promise a bright future for the print media. As what the analysis and discussion above suggest, graphics and illustrations are indeed fundamental in one's learning. Waltz with Bashir can be considered to succeed because of these factors. It was not just the interesting plot and storyline that sis the trick, but it was also aided by the undeniably genius and attractive graphics that have the power to hold and keep a reader's attention and interest. McCloud’s original belief that graphic novels have an untapped potential as a medium of expression has never been so close or seemed so true. As the genre continues to grow and people continue to open their mind to “picture books”, their potential will continue to multiply. It is therefore irrefutable that reading plain text may not be that interesting anymore to most readers, especially from the younger generations; however, what seems to matter is how other media can keep them reading although supplemental graphics and illustrations are already there. Hence, it can be safe to say that the ability of these graphic novels to inform and entertain at the same time is a brilliant innovation.
* Figure 1. p. 23
* Figure 2. p. 24
References Folman, Ari and Polonsky, David. (2009). Waltz with Bashir: a Lebanon war story. New York: Metopolitan Books. p. 17, 23, 24 Figure 1. From Ari Folman and David Polonsky's Waltz with Bashir: a Lebanon war story. New York: Metopolitan Books. p. 23 Figure 2. From Ari Folman and David Polonsky's Waltz with Bashir: a Lebanon war story. New York: Metopolitan Books. p. 24 Scott, A. O. (2008). “Inside a Veteran's Nightmare: Waltz with Bashir (2008) Review.” The New York Times. Retrieved October 10, 2009 from http://movies.nytimes.com/2008/12/26/movies/26bash.html Short, J. C. & Reeves, T. C. (2009). “The Graphic Novel: A 'Cool' Format for Communicating to Generation Y.” Business Communication Quarterly. Association for Business Communication. Shulman, Robin. (2009). “Film 'Can't Change The World': 'Bashir's Ari Folman Draws Conclusions About Conflict.” Arts and Living. The Washington Post. . Retrieved October 10, 2009 fromhttp://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/23/AR2009012300838.html.
According to Scott McCloud, author of Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art, young children are expected to read books with lots of pictures, but are also expected to mature out of these taught habits as they grow. The traditional approach to literature and art are best if viewed separately angers McCloud. He states that comics have the potential to release people’s mind and teach them so much more if they could just free themselves from the idea of comics being simplistic diversions that exemplify commercialism.
McCloud accredits this new medium as one of the major reasons why most young readers are straying away from the traditional, plain-text novels. Although the emergence of this new media is undeniable, it is still questioned whether this media performs more effectively than the traditional one. Does this form of expression promise better comprehension? Does it convey and depict authors' messages more clearly? Is it capable of attracting and encouraging more readers to continue on reading, or is the graphic novel just as an effective conveyor of information and entertainment as the traditional novel form? The pursuit of this discussion is to analyze McCloud’s key conceptual analyses of the emerging genre taken from his graphic novel Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art. In this pursuit, it will aid to utilize a graphic novel from which the analysis will be based. For this discussion and critique, the graphic comic that it shall be centered on is Ari Folman's world-renowned graphic novel, Waltz with Bashir. Thus, the succeeding parts of this paper shall delve on exploring and critically analyzing Folman's work, according to McCloud, beginning with a comprehensive summary.
Waltz with Bashir talks about the tale and memoirs of a soldier who was severely traumatized by the Lebanon war. Though the soldier was able to regain physical health immediately, the psychological and emotional trauma the war brought him appeared to be the most difficult to heal. The splendor of the story revolved around one distinct and complex character which the author used as his own reflection, as a soldier himself.
McCloud argues that many authors revert to graphic novels because they allow them to powerfully convey their ideas through what he calls juxtaposed, sequential static images. Folman’s intense journey could perhaps not be fully captured to his satisfaction without the aid of things that plain text does not offer, such as pictures, actions, colours and methodical layouts.
It can be recalled that McCloud suggested that graphic novels have untapped potential as medium of expression. Many studies have already supported his claim and deduced that this form of media actually provides readers with more attractive readings which posts several advantages over the traditional textbooks (Reeves & Short, 2009). In the case of Waltz with Bashir, this claim was proved true. Depicting war memoirs has never been an easy feat for authors. Although the scenes at war are intense and consuming enough to induce imageries in the minds of the readers, it is still very difficult to convey how dreadful and miserable its real face is, physically as well as emotionally. This was where Folman seemed to focus, often because there is no better way to present such a complex experience but through graphics. Figures 1 and 2 below are some of the greatest examples on how Folman's work conveys the idea of war more effectively than how a traditional novel may have done it. In these images, the real faces of hostility, misery, pain and death were graphically revealed, to the story’s advantage. McCloud discusses the heavy reliance on sensory perception to truly experience the outside world, which Folman truly drives home through his immaculate art. McCloud proposes his concept of closure, where the audience experiences the phenomenon of observing the parts but perceiving the whole. Through this, closure allows readers to transform static images into figurative motion, bringing together the graphic experience and making it complete.
Aside from the commendable illustrations and graphics, Folman's story was also regarded highly by comic readers due to the sincerity of the message it speaks about war. Everything can be observed to be written under the perspective of Folman. The story revolves around Folman's struggle to put the missing parts of his lost memory together by going back to the places he has been and interviewing people he once had the chance to work with in the army. However in the story, Folman's character is also depicted to be confused and bewildered of the things he began to remember. Through the scattered jumps between the past and present and intermittent recollections of memory, Folman unknowingly employs McCloud’s time frame theory throughout his work. McCloud states that audiences have been trained by representational art to see snapshots of time as instances, and not milliseconds. The accompanying speech bubbles allows time to pass, helping the readers to understand time within a comic frame. “Frames are dynamic. If details are missing and there are some black holes, reader’s imaginations fill in the empty spaces until it completely summarizes the designated time,” his co-writer, Ori explains (Folman & Polonsky, 2009).
Folman takes the strength and sincerity of a war stricken soldier and makes the emotions come to life through this graphic novel. McCloud discusses the ways through which authors appeal to audience members senses and feelings. He states that emotions have the ability to be made visible, even through ink on paper. The idea of an image evoking a specific emotion or sensation in a reader is a strong concept and difficult task, but one that Folman pulls off effortlessly.
It can be deduced that indeed, graphic novels like this work of Ari Folman induce better comprehension as they aid in the more graphic nature of humans' learning (Fisher & Frey, ). They enable the readers to actually see the real face of the story without leaving any unimaginable areas. Moreover, the displacement of the author's message was undeniably more effective as well. Readers are taken into a much deeper connection through their subconscious since they are being required to supplement the images with their real thoughts, perspectives and experiences. Lastly, although this kind of media will not encourage reading the traditional novel form anymore, it nonetheless pushes readers to read more of the graphic novels that offer clearer, more straightforward and descriptive expression. These types of media are powerful and growing in modern society as they further expand on human communication, McCloud explains. They continue to grow so much, in fact, that they are widely considered works of art. McCloud defines art broadly: “Any human activity which doesn't grow out of either of our species' two basic instincts: survival and reproduction”, and continues by explaining how the pursuit of art serves three evolutionary purposes, all of which can be seen through Folman’s tale.
Finally, Folman’s use of colour throughout his novel is interesting and truly speaks to his purpose and goal. He predominantly uses dark palettes to colour places, people and settings, even when they take place on a bright day outside. He wisely conveys tone, atmosphere and feeling simply by the colours he uses for the characters skin tones, car colours and shades found in the sky. McCloud says that colour is a powerful, predominant concern of all good artists, but it is when one can use it to have profound physical and emotional effects on people that they are to be commended, for they are true artists.
In several ways, this work of Folman does not just exemplify his own prowess and capability as a graphic novelist. This example also signifies how strong and potent this form of media can really be despite the emergence of all the other more powerful media today like the mobile phones and the internet. It somewhat suggests that through this form of novels, teachers and parents will still be able to keep their children's hands on books. More probably this can still promise a bright future for the print media. As what the analysis and discussion above suggest, graphics and illustrations are indeed fundamental in one's learning. Waltz with Bashir can be considered to succeed because of these factors. It was not just the interesting plot and storyline that sis the trick, but it was also aided by the undeniably genius and attractive graphics that have the power to hold and keep a reader's attention and interest.
McCloud’s original belief that graphic novels have an untapped potential as a medium of expression has never been so close or seemed so true. As the genre continues to grow and people continue to open their mind to “picture books”, their potential will continue to multiply. It is therefore irrefutable that reading plain text may not be that interesting anymore to most readers, especially from the younger generations; however, what seems to matter is how other media can keep them reading although supplemental graphics and illustrations are already there. Hence, it can be safe to say that the ability of these graphic novels to inform and entertain at the same time is a brilliant innovation.
* Figure 2. p. 24
References
Folman, Ari and Polonsky, David. (2009). Waltz with Bashir: a Lebanon war story. New York: Metopolitan Books. p. 17, 23, 24
Figure 1. From Ari Folman and David Polonsky's Waltz with Bashir: a Lebanon war story. New York: Metopolitan Books. p. 23
Figure 2. From Ari Folman and David Polonsky's Waltz with Bashir: a Lebanon war story. New York: Metopolitan Books. p. 24
Scott, A. O. (2008). “Inside a Veteran's Nightmare: Waltz with Bashir (2008) Review.”
The New York Times. Retrieved October 10, 2009 from http://movies.nytimes.com/2008/12/26/movies/26bash.html
Short, J. C. & Reeves, T. C. (2009). “The Graphic Novel: A 'Cool' Format for Communicating to Generation Y.” Business Communication Quarterly. Association for Business Communication.
Shulman, Robin. (2009). “Film 'Can't Change The World': 'Bashir's Ari Folman Draws Conclusions About Conflict.” Arts and Living. The Washington Post. . Retrieved October 10, 2009 from http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/23/AR2009012300838.html.